Chapter 7: The Birthday Present

February 27th, 1900—Mion's birthday had arrived. She had completely forgotten about it, lost in her apathy. But the teachers and students were prepared to surprise her.

After school, three girls from her class approached her: Yoko, Kushida, and Yuki. "Mion, come with us. We need to talk," Yoko said with a mysterious smile. Mion was confused at first, but they insisted she go with them.

Confused, Mion kept asking, "What's going on? Where are we going?"

They ignored her questions and led her to the same bakery she'd visited with Manabu, 'Sweet Bakery'—the shop she cherished so much.

As they reached the entrance, the lights were off. The door swung open, and in unison, everyone inside shouted, "Surprise!"

Mion froze, her eyes widening in shock. For a moment, she just stood there, blushing, taking it all in—the familiar faces, the decorations, and the warm smiles. Her gaze fell on a beautifully designed cake at the center table, and right beside it, a framed photo of Naomi and Futaba.

Manabu stepped forward and wished her, "Happy Birthday!" Tears welled up in her eyes.

Mai, standing next to her, gently wiped them away and said, "You're not alone, idiot! We're your family, aren't we?"

Leon looked genuinely happy for her. Mion smiled through her tears and stepped forward, cutting the cake with trembling hands.

As a sign of affection, she offered the first bite to Mai, whispering, "Sorry… sorry for everything. You guys are my family, and I was too blind to see it. I'm sorry for being rude to you all."

One of the students laughed. "No problem! It's all cool… Just let me have some cake already!"

The room erupted in laughter, and Mion, for the first time in a long while, laughed along with them.

As the celebration went on, Taiju and Manabu took a moment to mention, "Leon was the one who came up with this entire plan," Taiju said in a loud voice.

Mion turned to Leon, gratitude in her eyes. "Thank you… and I'm sorry for ignoring you all this time."

Leon waved it off casually. "No! It was nothing, just chill! I just wanted to help my classmate."

Mion smiled, tears glistening, and hugged him.

The party lasted for hours, and everyone enjoyed themselves to the fullest. Eventually, it was time to leave, and one by one, the students departed. Mion, feeling lighter than she had in months, headed home.

Mr. Daima looked quite satisfied too. Leon decided to hang out with Manabu and the others for a while, so Daima left for home alone.

As the group walked together down the street—Leon, Taiju, Mai, and Manabu—Leon was excited because he'd gotten Mion's phone number. Taiju, clearly impressed, patted his back and said, "From today, you're officially part of our friend circle."

The four of them ended up at Manabu's house, lounging around and talking for hours.

Eventually, Leon leaned back and, out of curiosity, asked, "So… what do you guys think? Who could Mr. Santa be?"

Taiju shook his head. "Not really."

Leon asked another question that had lingered in his mind throughout their conversation. "You guys mentioned there's a copycat, correct? Because the real Mr. Santa only targets criminals or bad people. But what if it was indeed Mr. Santa? And there's no copycat?"

Manabu, resting his chin on his hand, thought for a moment before replying, "The chances of them being the same person are slim. Besides, what reason would the real Mr. Santa have to kill Naomi or her father? If you look at the crime records of Mr. Santa, he's not stable in one place—Joppo, Doshiqi, Christina Town, and many other districts and places. Killing Naomi and Futaba wouldn't make any sense for him, since he has no time to waste and no reason to kill them."

Leon nodded in agreement. "Yeah… I agree, that doesn't make sense. But what if the police department never revealed the true records and is still hiding things from citizens? What if Mr. Santa is killing innocent people too, but the authorities are using his image as a criminal killer to reduce the crime rate in Feropia while also trying to catch him?"

Taiju was silent, visibly shocked by the reasoning. 'If that's the case, we're doomed.'

Just as they were discussing the case, Leon glanced at his left-hand watch, and his eyes widened. "Crap! It's already 8 PM. If I don't head home now, my dad's going to kick my ass!"

Mai asked why he was wearing his watch upside-down; Leon replied there was no reason—it was just a habit, maybe more comfortable that way.

Mai and Taiju realized the time as well. "We should leave too." They all parted ways, heading back to their respective homes.

But as Manabu was closing his door, he felt an eerie sensation, as if someone was watching them from the opposite side of the apartment. Out of instinct, he glanced around but saw nothing unusual. He thought he was imagining things and decided he should sleep.

As he closed the door, unbeknownst to him, a figure stood on the fifth floor of the opposite building, lurking in the shadows. The figure observed them closely and, without a sound, disappeared into the darkness.

'The Next Morning'—For the first time in a long while, Manabu had a peaceful sleep without nightmares haunting him. Waking up refreshed, he felt a faint hope lingering in his chest—perhaps, after everything, Mion would finally be able to recover completely. As usual, he picked up the morning newspaper and started reading.

A particular headline caught his attention: "No More Murders Since Christmas: Has Mr. Santa Vanished?" Manabu smirked to himself and thought, 'Just like the actual Santa Claus, no more gifts after Christmas ends.'

Shaking off his thoughts, he got ready for school. Their high school final year exams were just around the corner—likely at the end of March—marking their graduation. Despite everything that had happened over the past few months, Manabu remained focused.

"Discipline wins," he thought with a grin. Upon reaching school, he found Mion already there, smiling—a sight that brought genuine warmth to his heart.

Just like before, their group was complete, and for once, life seemed normal again. Everyone had learned to move on. But…

March 2nd, 10:36 PM—While Mion was preparing for her upcoming exams, she found herself distracted. She wasn't good at academics—never had been—but she excelled at practical things, painting, and athletics. With their final high school year ending and college looming, fear often made her overthink her future. For a while now, she'd been considering taking up painting again.

She wondered if she should keep studying—lost in her thoughts, a sudden notification on her laptop snapped her back to reality. A mail—from an unknown sender. The contents sent a chill down her spine:

"Mion, meet me at the school gate tonight at 1:20 AM. I have something to tell you about Naomi and Futaba's deaths. Don't ask questions. Come alone."

Mion's hands trembled. *Who is this? What do they know about Naomi and Futaba? How did they find my email?* Her mind raced with questions.

She thought for a moment. She wondered if she should call Manabu, but she knew better than to tell her friends—she couldn't risk their safety. After a moment of contemplation, she made a cautious decision and dialed Mr. Kenzo's number, written in her classwork notebook. She remembered Kenzo telling them to report if anything happened. After a few rings, he picked up.

"Mr. Kenzo," she whispered, "something's wrong. I just got a mail from an unknown sender, and it says… it's about Naomi and Futaba… Can you help me?"

Kenzo asked who she was. Mion explained everything—about herself, the mail, and what it said.

Kenzo's voice was stern yet reassuring. "Listen closely, Sayuri Mion! Don't step outside until I get there. Email me your address right now; I'm coming, and I'll go with you. Stay put. Lock your windows and door, and don't open them until I reach you, no matter what."

Mion followed his instructions. Around 11:56 PM, Kenzo arrived at Mion's house and rang her doorbell. She grabbed her phone, purse, and some safety gear, her heart racing. They headed to the school together.

They decided to reach the gate before the time. Kenzo went with her, explaining what to do.

"Once we get there, you'll stay at the gate," he instructed. "I'll hide in the bushes. If anything happens, I'll take action immediately."

Mion nodded silently, trying to suppress her fear. She worked to calm herself.

At 1:23 AM, they reached the school gate, the street eerily silent under flickering lampposts. Mion stood still as instructed, her heart pounding in her chest.

She glanced at the time on her phone anxiously. It was 1:30 already. Suddenly, footsteps echoed against the pavement from behind her. A figure approached, clad in a black hoodie and a blue cap. Mion hadn't noticed him at first, but as soon as he called out, "Mion!" fear overtook her body.

She let out a terrified scream and stumbled to the ground. "Ahh!!"

Kenzo bolted from his hiding spot, charging at the figure and tackling him to the ground. Without hesitation, he yanked off the cap; the intruder screamed in pain.

It revealed Leon's face.

Kenzo immediately yelled, "Leon? You?! What the hell are you doing here at midnight?!"

Leon blinked, equally startled. "Kenzo-san?!" Both stared at each other in disbelief and confusion, their minds racing.

Kenzo yelled again, "What the fuck are you doing here at one-freaking-AM, calling out to a girl? Are you out of your mind? Is she your girlfriend or something?!"

Leon groaned. "What?! No! I just wanted to talk to her about something important! And why are you here?"

Kenzo narrowed his eyes. "Mion called me, said a creep texted her at mid-freaking-night and wanted to talk about something important at mid-freaking-night. Now, what was this so-called important conversation you wanted to have?"

Leon hesitated, then leaned in and whispered something into Kenzo's ear.

Kenzo's expression shifted from suspicion to shock. "Nah! No! Nope! No way! Hell no!" He shook his head in denial.

But Leon persisted. "Uncle, they were Mion's family. She deserves to know!"

Kenzo crossed his arms stubbornly. "Absolutely not. She's a kid, not a killer kid!"

Mion, watching their exchange in confusion, finally spoke up. "Mr. Kenzo… I want to know what happened to my sister and father. Please… let him speak."

Kenzo studied her determined eyes for a moment. Leon requested once more, and finally, after some thought, Kenzo sighed in defeat. "Fine. But Leon—only the important facts. No unnecessary details."

Leon nodded solemnly and turned to Mion. "Tell me, Mion… what kind of person do you think our principal, Hojo Tetsuya, is?"

Mion blinked at the sudden question. "I think… he's strict, but a good person. Maybe a bit too serious, but he means well."

Leon's gaze darkened. He exhaled deeply and delivered the truth like a blade cutting through silence. "What if I told you that your sister, Naomi, and your father, Futaba… were murdered by our principal, Hojo Tetsuya?"

Mion's breath hitched. She froze, unable to process the weight of his words. Her mind went blank… just then, Leon added:

"Hojo is Naomi's killer and the copycat."